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De Aza back in lineup for KC opener

De Aza back in lineup for KC opener

KANSAS CITY -- Alejandro De Aza was back in the White Sox lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Royals.

De Aza sat out the previous two games following an 0-for-9 performance in the first two games of the series with the Twins.

"He just, in Minnesota, didn't look right," Ventura said. "Just tried to get him a day where he could work on it and get back in there. He's fine."

De Aza looked fine in his first at-bat, crushing a home run to lead off the game against right-hander Luke Hochevar. He finished 2-for-4 to help the White Sox grab a 3-2 victory.

The August addition of Dewayne Wise has crowded the the White Sox outfield. While Alex Rios is a permanent fixture in right field -- he's appeared in all but three games this season -- manager Robin Ventura has had to juggle De Aza, Wise and Dayan Viciedo in center and left field.

"They're all kind of doing their part," Ventura said. "There's only three spots out there. You keep them fresh and try to give them a good chance. You look at matchups and get them out there because they've all done something to get us here."

Wise entered play Tuesday batting .347 in September, and Ventura said he's played his way into more playing time. De Aza, meanwhile, has played in just 10 of the team's 15 games this month. Viciedo has made 13 starts this month, only eight in left field.

De Aza started in left field again Tuesday, his third start there this season after 115 starts in center. But, when Wise and De Aza are in the lineup together, Wise will play center and De Aza left.